Shatrughan Sinha dedicates film to Hrishida

Mumbai: The music of Shatrughan Sinha and Punam S Sinha’s Mera Dil Leke Dekkho was released on August 28 at Hotel J.W. Marriott in Mumbai by Sony and BMG. The film made under the banner of Shotgun Movies is directed by Rohit Kaushik and stars Koel Purie, Jackie Shroff, Archana Puransingh and Puneet Tejwani.

Shatrughan Sinha said, “I wanted to cancel the music launch as a mark of respect to veteran Hrishikesh Mukherjee. But the invitations were already dispatched. I know Hrishida would not have wanted me to do so. He always had said that whatever happens, the show must go on. As a mark of tribute, I dedicate our debut film to Hrishida. He was an institution by himself and the death of the filmmaker has closed the chapter forever. His films were made with Indian traditions and cultures in mind. Mere Dil Leke Dekkho is also a clean comedy, which can be watched by the entire family.”

The actor-turned-MP further added, “I have worked with Hrishida in Naram Garam in 1981. It was a hilarious comedy. I was fortunate to be associated with him. After I became a health minister and was always in Delhi, he used to often call me and converse with me in Bengali. As per his wish, I met him in Mumbai recently and found him to be a very lonely man. He was a friend, philosopher and guide.”

Shatrughan is proud that his wife has made the film on her own steam. “She’s an extremely creative person. When she said that she wanted to revive our film production, I endorsed her decision completely. I must add that she took all the decisions herself and completed her film without any hiccups whatsoever,” he adds.

“Luv wants to be an actor, while Kush is keen on getting into direction. But I have told my kids that they need to go out, learn the ropes and only if they deserve a break, we’d launch them in our home-production,” he says.

“I decided to revive our film production unit,” reveals Punam. What prompted her to opt for new names when she could’ve easily cast any A-grade actor? “We wanted to take baby steps before the leap. I wanted to grasp things before we produce biggies,” says Punam about her game plan.

That Punam is ecstatic about film production is evident from the fact that she has decided to produce films in the future as well. Besides, she has complete support from her husband. “He was extremely supportive when I bounced off the idea [film production] to him. He met the director, heard the script and then it was up to me to call the shots,” she adds.